Wandered Roads 23

Wandered Roads of Varisia
Session 23
May 18, 2013

Campaign Timeline

Dismantling a Cult of Lumberjacks

Oathday, 20th of Lamashan

The heroes made their way to the sawmill. The streets were mostly empty at this point in the evening. Most folk had gone home from a long day of work and were eating dinner or drinking away their troubles. It was decided to enter the sawmill through the lower door that was accessed by a narrow staircase nestled between the building and the steep river bank. Even though the saw could not be heard running, the sounds of the mill mechanisms grew louder as the approached the lower door. It was locked and Ehlyna was ready to

Ellie picks the lock

‘unlock’ it, but Ellie stepped forward and quickly and skillfully unlocked the door and went in.

Before entering, Daellin cast Great Haste on Calina and Ehlyna, expecting a fight inside. Vexeron also buffed Samad and Ehlyna, Blurring them and making them harder to see. All ready for battle, the group entered the undermill.

The dark room under the mill contained 4 huge water wheels turning in the flow of the Yondabaraki River in the north half of the space. The southern half of the space, where the door entered, was full of cogs and axles and thick leather belts and ropes and chains, all the machinery that keeps the mill operating. Off to the right, down by the water wheels, stood a Human man. He was looking at something near the water wheel. As the entire band of 8 adventurers piled into the room, he eventually noticed them and began yelling and waving his hands for them to get out, stating that this place was dangerous. He approached but quickly backed up when he realized that they were armed to the teeth.

Ellie slipped away and went to investigate around behind some of the machinery where she ran into a masked individual sneaking up on the party with his war razor drawn. He immediately attacked her, and she jumped back to dodge the blow, but realized she hadn’t been fast enough. She closed her eyes as the long, wicked blade of the razor came down on her, then heard a grunt followed by a loud scream as her attacker somehow got his arm tangled up in a nearby belt and gear. He was ripped off the ground and slammed into the ceiling by the machinery, then fell back to the floor, his arm, mangled and unrecognizable as

Dangerous Gears

a limb anymore.

The first Human, who had called a co-worker over when the party refused to leave, pulled out his own war razor when he heard the scream from around the corner. His companion drew as well. Samad stepped up and, with a flourish, drew both of his blades. The two then fled the speeding Ehlyna and ran around the water wheels. Calina tried to cut them off and ran past the other end of the water wheels. Fortunately, Ehlyna was able to catch up to the two fleeing men and cut them down in no time, just before the brief haste magic faded. Seeing no one else on this level and no way to go up, the group went back outside and out and around to the front doors of the mill.

These double doors were unlocked and they entered. The mill was eerily quiet and empty, though signs of recent activity were present. The slowly and quietly searched the room for any hidden foes and then proceeded up to the next level. A similar situation was encountered here... empty but signs of recent occupation. Another search revealed nothing of interest.

When heading up to the 3rd floor, someone was spotted looking over the railing in the stairwell from 4th floor above. The watcher quickly pulled back out of sight. Instead of rushing right up the stairs, the group felt it prudent to check out the 3rd floor first to make sure no foes were to sneak up behind them. There were in fact 3 men on the third floor. They were wearing similar masks as those previously encountered and wielded the signature war razors as well. Several of the heroes rushed into the room while Calina and Vexeron guarded the stairwell. Kallin and Leela had been checking out a closet behind the stairwell when the battle started.

After a few moments of chasing the cultists around the saws and other mill machinery, Vexeron called out that they were being overrun from the 4th floor. The stairwell was full of hooded and masked cultists rushing down the stairs, their war razors at the ready. Vexeron tried to stop them, but they quickly overran him and tried grabbing him to take him down. The wizard took up a defensive stance and tried valiantly to hold them off. Everyone quickly repositioned in the narrow stairway area and the battle was fully underway. More and more cultists kept running down the stairs, sometimes throwing out magical commands, forcing various heroes to throw down their weapons.

Eventually, most all of the cultists were dispatched or slain. One remaining foe turned and

The Cult Leaders Mask

raced back upstairs. Daellin, followed by Ellie and some others, pursued. At the top of the stairs, Daellin found several more cultists and the cult leader, a masked Elf standing behind them. The cultists were wating for someone to rush up the stairs and they leaped forward to attack immediately. Daellin used his magical defenses to Blink forward, directly in front of the cult leader. The leader took a slash at Daellin while the others stepped back and surrounded the heroic Elf. Before Daellin could stop him, though, the masked Elf disappeared from sight.

The remaining cultists were quickly taken out by the rest of the heroes and in a last ditch effort, Daellin cast a spell to allow him to see those that were invisible. Unfortunately the spell was too much for the Elf to manage and as he scanned the room, he passed out. Nearby, Ehlyna pulled her two Black Dust vials from her potion belt and flung them in random directions, hoping to catch the location of their invisible foe.

Ehlyna took care of the downed cultists while Kallin and Vexeron stood guard over the fallen Daellin. Samad carefully scanned the room, looking for tell tale signs of footprints in the sawdust that covered every inch of this workshop area. Calina, Ellie and Leela searched the adjacent room, only to find a dirty cot and numerous dried and stretched once-living faces pulled over wooden frames hanging from the walls. A wooden footlocker did reveal piles and piles of odds and ends, knicknacks and other assorted junk in addition to 3 interesting tomes. One identified as probably a spell book, one a book of fairy tales titled The Syrpents Tane: Fairy tales of the Eldest,  and the third a thin ledger written in some unknown language.

Next, the three ladies climb the ladder in the corner and enter the rookery above this macabre chamber. The three quiet ravens still perch in the screen fronted cage. It sits on a writing table with several quills and small pieces of paper. Each raven has a letter carrier tied to its leg. Vexeron mentions that if a feather was plucked from one of the birds and it was set free, he could use his magic to track where it goes, possibly leading them to the next phase of their investigation. Calina did not want to pluck any feathers, so Ellie did and

A raven's feather for a Seeker spell

then set all three birds go.

Daellin, now conscious, gathered up the magical masks from all the fallen cultists and the group, unable to find anything else of interest or value in the sawmill, prepared to leave. Calina suggested hooking up the empty wagon from the first floor to the horse that Ehlyna brought and taking it back to the Kaijitsu estate. Finally, after it was quite dark, the heroes made it back to their new home with a stolen wagon in tow.

Continuing Story Doc

Continuing Story Summary

Safely back at their base at Kaijitsu, the group plots their next move. Kallin wanders off to search for the Temple of Pharasma , Daellin looks to hire some help and Calina heads out of town to see her animal friend, Paka. Leela and Ellie go off in search of buying some baking supplies then off to see Shelia Heidmarch at the Pathfinder Lodge so Leela can turn in the maps she had been making of Thassilonian ruins near Sandpoint. At the Pathfinder Lodge, Shelia invited Leela and her new friends back for dinner and an offer of employment.

Session Notes

The return of Ellie!

We were missing Greg (Vexeron) and Jodi (Ehlyna) this time around, but this session saw the return of Megan (Ellie). It also saw the addition of the groups newest member, Sully. He was that parasite thing that had taken root in Megan's insides last year and kept her from the table. He was a good boy, quiet and didn't distract TOO much, though JeCorey may disagree with that last statement, as Sully was being used to taunt and intimidate him.

• Outside the Gates of Magnimar (Calina)
• Visiting the Church of Pharasma (Kallin)
• Busy Work (Daellin)

Characters Present:

Kallin Hawkril, (236pts) Half-Orc shaman and budding Priest of Pharasma - played by +Daniel Ernst
Calina, (335pts) Varisian Human archer and scout - played by +Carol Coburn
Leela Cardnool, (248pts) Gnome scout, cartographer and Illusionist - played by +Lisa Smith
Daellin Silvanthalas, (289pts) Elven Farstrider Ranger - played by +Ben Lipe
Vexeron, (282) Human wizard - played by +Greg Grady
Ehlyna Fuzziface (247pts) - Dwarven Warrior - played by +Jodi H
Samad Aldhul, (251pts) Human ex-mercenary - played by +JeCorey Holder
Ellie , (194pts) Halfling Finder of Things - played by +Megan McCarron

and +Jason Woollard as the DM